What is Harvard: Definition and 78 Discussions

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, clergyman John Harvard, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States
and among the most prestigious in the world.The Massachusetts colonial legislature, the General Court, authorized Harvard's founding. In its early years, Harvard College primarily trained Congregational and Unitarian clergy, although it has never been formally affiliated with any denomination. Its curriculum and student body were gradually secularized during the 18th century, and by the 19th century, Harvard had emerged as the central cultural establishment among the Boston elite.
Following the American Civil War, President Charles William Eliot's long tenure (1869–1909) transformed the college and affiliated professional schools into a modern research university; Harvard became a founding member of the Association of American Universities in 1900. James B. Conant led the university through the Great Depression and World War II; he liberalized admissions after the war.
The university is composed of ten academic faculties plus the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Arts and Sciences offers study in a wide range of academic disciplines for undergraduates and for graduates, while the other faculties offer only graduate degrees, mostly professional. Harvard has three main campuses:
the 209-acre (85 ha) Cambridge campus centered on Harvard Yard; an adjoining campus immediately across the Charles River in the Allston neighborhood of Boston; and the medical campus in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. Harvard's endowment is valued at $41.9 billion, making it the largest of any academic institution. Endowment income helps enable the undergraduate college to admit students regardless of financial need and provide generous financial aid with no loans. The Harvard Library is the world's largest academic library system, comprising 79 individual libraries holding about 20.4 million items.Harvard has more alumni, faculty, and researchers who have won Nobel Prizes (161) and Fields Medals (18) than any other university in the world and more alumni who have been members of the U.S. Congress, MacArthur Fellows, Rhodes Scholars (375), and Marshall Scholars (255) than any other university in the United States. Its alumni also include eight U.S. presidents and 188 living billionaires, the most of any university. Fourteen Turing Award laureates have been Harvard affiliates. Students and alumni have also won 10 Academy Awards, 48 Pulitzer Prizes, and 108 Olympic medals (46 gold), and they have founded many notable companies.

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  1. .Scott

    Harvard Team Discovers 'Hemolithin' Protein Series on Asteroid

    A Harvard teams believe they have found a protein series they call "Hemolithin" in an asteroid. Isotopes and other evidence indicates that it is not from a terrestrial source."Astrobiology Web" link arxiv pdf link
  2. AryaKimiaghalam

    Schools Do Harvard and MIT students have a 145 IQ average?

    Hi, I've heard that Harvard and MIT students have an average IQ of 145. It looks very odd to me because I think it's ridiculously high. In my University the average is said to be around 123. Does anybody have any recourses about this topic? I'm trying to decide whether to have MIT as a goal, or...
  3. V

    How to get into Harvard, MIT or Princeton from India?

    Hi everyone, I am a 10th grader studying in India. I want to know what it will take to get into universities like Harvard, MIT, etc. I have been getting 10 CGPA from class 6th to 9th,and i hope to score well in my boards. I am also a 5th grade pianist(Trinity) and I hope to complete upto 7...
  4. H

    Schools Can I do well at Harvard if I wasn't a physics nerd in HS?

    Hello everyone! I am an incoming freshman at Harvard. Most of the impressive things I have done in high school revolve around English and literary competitions. I was never bad at math - 770 math SAT, 800 math SAT subject test, AP Calc BC 5 - but it always seemed I was more apt to study...
  5. fresh_42

    B Who is Lisa Randall and What Can We Learn from Her Interview?

    Lisa Randall (Harvard): https://www.physics.harvard.edu/people/facpages/randall Video: http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/?obj=62357 (41 minutes long, English, click the picture)
  6. fissifizz

    Schools Harvard vs Stanford: Which is Best for Physics?

    Hello everyone! I fortunately have been admitted to both Harvard and Stanford for undergrad, but I'm having an incredibly difficult time making a final decision. I will be visiting both schools very shortly, but in the meantime, I wanted to gauge your opinions on these two schools. Now I want...
  7. T

    Courses Which Course is Right for Me: Math 25 or 55 at Harvard?

    i'll be attending harvard next year (deferred entry) and am planning to use this year to study calculus and linear algebra in preparation for either math 25 or 55. (See here for the various courses: http://www.math.harvard.edu/pamphlets/beyond.html ) I know math 23 will be too easy because I...
  8. T

    Which Harvard course should I take?

    Hi, apologies if I'm on the wrong website or anything. I'll be starting math at Harvard next year but am at a loss as to which course I should start with. I have a good background in competition math (so I know the essentials of most elementary math topics), finished working through Apostol's...
  9. T

    Are the Physics exams in Uni long or short?

    I'm asking because I'm slow when it comes to mathematics in Physics exams , and I was wondering if Universities cater for people who are slow thinkers by making Physics exams longer than high school exams?
  10. Benevito

    MIT vs Harvard in experimental condensed matter physics?

    Hi everyone! I was admitted as an undergraduate transfer student to MIT and Harvard College for Fall 2015. I am now stuck deciding between the two. Which one do you think is better for studying experimental condensed matter physics or just physics in general?
  11. B

    Found out I received an offer to the Harvard SAO Astronomy REU

    Hello, Tonight, I received an email from the Harvard faculty that they wish to call me regarding their REU. I was incredibly excited, but I do not know what questions to ask. I am in total shock as I thought I would never believed I would have received an offer from Harvard of all places. What...
  12. B

    A Question about the Problem of the Week at Harvard

    I found a set of question from Harvard here; https://www.physics.harvard.edu/academics/undergrad/problems [URL repaired by a mentor] I solved the Week 1 problem like this; The basketball would fall to the floor, because the collision is elastic the velocity will change from -v to v (where v is...
  13. icecubebeast

    Schools Elite Universities (Stanford, MIT, Harvard, etc.) downloads?

    Hello, I am interested in the free downloads that are publicly available on the main websites of elite universities. By "free downloads" I mean textbooks that are publicly available on the websites of the universities (in pdf or docx). That also includes public research documents from those...
  14. anubodh

    Becoming a Physicist: US Universities for High School Student from India

    I am a high school student from India (in my last year)?Though my academic performance is great and i am confident of scoring 90% above in 12th.I am also doing a research with India's top research institution CSIR on Foot malodour and heading another research on mosquito resistance to...
  15. K

    Programs Math, Physics & Computer Science Online Majors

    Hi everybody,I am a math, physics, and English A-level and will be writing my final exams in October/November. My primary goal is to garner a BSc in math, physics, and computer science, before entering post-graduate study at a good research university in either math or physics, and hopefully in...
  16. B

    Schools Senior Year Student -- What US universities are good for physics?

    Hello, I've been wondering about universities in the US. So what are relatively good universities in physics with a low tuition and good financial aid for international students? (Good universities in physics as in those that come in second or third after the "famous and prestigious"...
  17. R

    From Facilities Management to Finance?

    I currently have a job extracting and manipulating data from a database using various 4th gen database programming languages. I love number crunching and programming and I want to do this as a career. I want to do some sort of stats course which is designed for people from various disciplines...
  18. C

    UK student wanting to do PhD in the US

    So first I will lay out my background, I am about to start QFFF (Masters) at Imperial College in the UK, I graduated from my undergraduate degree with a strong first class honours which I believe is a 4.0 GPA in the US (top 10% of my class) and first class project (from which I will be getting...
  19. H

    Schools Selecting a College (Physics undergrad)

    I am in the process of selecting colleges to apply to this fall. I plan on majoring in Physics or another STEM related career. I am interested in receiving the best undergraduate education in Physics possible (tuition is not a consideration). For me, quality of instruction and professors'...
  20. F

    Graduate Programs for Radio Astronomy

    Hello all, I'm trying to compile a list of schools (mainly in the US) that offer Ph.D. programs with research in radio astronomy. Here's what I've come up with so far: Caltech Cornell Harvard New Mexico Tech Ohio State University UC Berkley UC Los Angeles UC Santa Cruz University of Arizona...
  21. Entanglement

    Schools Are the top universities just names?

    Are Oxford, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Pennsylvania, Cornell, Yale universities just names ?? Certainly the most successful people graduate from these universities, is this because they somehow attract only the bright students, or is it because the quality of education and teaching...
  22. C

    How competitive is cosmology at the PhD level?

    I am a masters student at some Canadian school best known for astrophysics (and one of the premier schools in the world for white dwarves), dreaming to get into the likes of UPenn (a reach, but not a pipe dream-level reach à la Harvard and Princeton, which some over-ambitious recommender advised...
  23. H

    Schools Is a Degree in Engineering Physics Viable for Graduate School?

    I am a rising Senior in high school, and planning to major in Physics, with the intent of pursuing a Doctorate in Physics. Recently I received a "golden application" to the Colorado School of Mines (http://www.mines.edu/)... a school that I was not previously familiar with. Apparently this...
  24. J

    Too late to become a physicist

    So as of late, I've really come to taking a serious interest in physics. I'm in eleventh grade. I don't expect to go to a prestigious college like Harvard etc, just to get a physics degree. Throughout High School, I haven't been the best student, I haven't tried as hard or applied myself as hard...
  25. A

    Schools My chances of making it into university?

    So I'm not too sure of my chances of getting into the following universities: - Princeton - Caltech - MIT - Polytechnic Institute of New York - Harvard (I know its very unlikey) Now my last year of high school will be 2017, yes I am still in grade 9. Recently I've been doing the math & I...
  26. M

    Physics How you become a theoretical physicist

    Hi, I would like to ask HOW you become a theoretical physicist. By how, I mean what classes are needed? What is college like for one studying to become a theoretical physicist?I would like to specialize in Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Of course this all depends on what college you attend...
  27. S

    How to get into harvard or mit or oxbridge

    well if a person has low marks in 10th and 12th grade(85% and 75%) and he gets into a low level college,but if he do well in college in all the semesters and get 99% and has a good scores in toefl and ielts.can he get into one of these colleges for post graduation? :confused:
  28. O

    Astrophysics - Safe Choice vs Risky Choice

    Hello all, I was hoping to get some advice from people who have already completed their phd and have faced the real world situation of the post-doc pressures and job market. I am at a cross-roads now that I have been admitted to some graduate programs, and I am really struggling to decide...
  29. W

    Schools Dissection - mandatory for high school and university?

    Dissection -- mandatory for high school and university? Is dissection mandatory for high school and university (biology as a major)? Can one be exempt due to religion and use virtual tech like harvard does?
  30. N

    Are there any jobless graduates from Harvard?

    Is there any graduate from Harvard that can't get a job? If so, then what's the point of going to Harvard?
  31. infinite.curve

    Testing Is the SAT Required for Elite Educational Institutes?

    Well, I was wondering if the SAT is actually required for applying to 'elite' educational institutes, such as Harvard, MIT or Caltech. I ask this because my cousin is refusing to take the SAT, but gets outstanding grades in school; and have received 5s his subjects tests. Would they take...
  32. born2discover

    Future Outlook For Career Choices

    Hello Everyone, This is my first post on this site and certainly will not be my last. First a little about me, I am 28, married, currently maintain a 4.0 in college. I am a non traditional student looking at varying career paths. While I have not declared a major as of yet, the options I am...
  33. A

    How Can I Stay Ahead in Academics at a Top Undergrad Program?

    Does anyone have advice on how to stay on top of things academically when at an excellent (but not top) undergrad program? How do you remain competent in the face of peers at places like Harvard/Stanford/MIT who are allowed to take far more rigorous classes? Any ideas on what/how to learn...
  34. teroenza

    Good (not elite) School in Boston

    Hello, I have someone who has a decent chance at gettign into MIT/Harvard that I want to be close (same city preferably) to.I am most interested in experimental condensed matter, AMO, and applied physics. Could anyone give me an idea of the best schools for these in the area that are not...
  35. L

    Schools Age as negative factor in top math grad school admission?

    Hi, I am a math major in South Korea. Recently, one of my friends came to me with a rumor that age of the applicant is a critical factor in admission to top math grad school like princeton, harvard, etc... What worries me is that due to the country's "mandatory military service law ", I...
  36. I

    Schools Submit grad school applications earlier or wait for higher PGRE score?

    I have a GRE score of 6.0 writing, 170 reading, and 168 quantitative, and a 4.0 GPA. I also have 4 semesters of soft matter theory research and 1 summer of particle physics theory research. I'm applying to do theory to many schools, including MIT, SUNY Stony Brook, Stanford, Harvard, UMass...
  37. F

    Is a PhD in the USA worth for an european Master student?

    Hello! My name is Federico, a physics student from Italy who is thinking to apply to some universities in the USA for PhD program in theoretical particle physics. I have a couple of questions since I don't understend really well how the higher educational system works in the USA. I have...
  38. A

    Schools University Choice for Theoretical Physics

    Hello, all. Perhaps this is the wrong place to post, considering the descriptor for this subforum is "Grad school and PhD help", but I couldn't see an alternative for advice about undergraduate study, so I hope you'll forgive me if this is the wrong place! This is the first forum I've come...
  39. S

    Studying in Top-Uni in the World?

    Hi everyone, I am currently an undergrad studying Physics in one of the top uni in Hong Kong, and I have a question for a long time: if I want to be a professor/successful scientist, is it important that I should get a post-grad degree from the top universities in the world? (ie: MIT...
  40. D

    Schools If I don't do well in community college, am I screwed for life

    Sounds ridiculous to not do well, right? I won't flunk, but I am shooting for at least a 3.7 GPA. I want to have a shot at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Caltech, and Harvey Mudd. If I get 3.7 or less (maybe around 3.6), will my chance of getting into my dream schools be null for life? I just...
  41. C

    Charlie Johnson: Finding Research Area for PhD Programs

    Hello PF community, My name is Charlie Johnson. I just graduated from Stanford where I did a B.S. in Engineering Physics. I am studying for the Physics GRE and planning to apply to PhD programs this Fall. I have many interests both in and outside of school, and so I find it difficult to choose...
  42. F

    Statement of Purpose and Recommendation Letters most important?

    I was reading through Harvard's graduate school admissions FAQ, and a paragraph said:"The physics department's admissions committee reviews each candidate's entire application, including statement of purpose, transcript, experience, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation -- the statement of...
  43. teroenza

    Schools Using Wolfram Alpha to Evaluate/Compare Graduate Schools

    Hi All, I am looking into engineering and physics grad schools. I have a good deal of information available, and am trying to sort through it. Has anyone used Wolfram Alpha to do anythings like this? From basic comparisons like "Harvard University, Princeton University" it will give you a...
  44. A

    This Freshman Math Class at Harvard Looks Insane

    If this is the wrong forum for this, I apologize. I tried to narrow this question to the right section. I somehow ended up on a Harvard undergraduate maths webpage for incoming freshman. The first two courses I read were pretty gnarly but I have read enough posts on this website throughout...
  45. Q

    In need of some advice about my future

    I went to Harvard as an undergrad, but I was exceedingly poorly prepared in more or less every respect. I ended up finishing with a 3.3 GPA and a 3.1 concentration GPA (My pure math classes are higher (3.45), the lower grade is because I counted four physics classes towards my major that I...
  46. O

    Am I behind? How to get the most out of a small school.

    I go to a small liberal arts school. I always wanted to go to the best school I could, but I grew up in a small town with almost zero resources and had to deal with some pretty scary abusive family stuff for most of my life. I got kind of screwed up for awhile and barely scraped my way into...
  47. N

    Textbooks similar to Harvard Math 55

    Hello, I would like to strengthen my math knowledge by going through a series of basic pure math topics. Sort of what Math 55 does at Harvard, which covers linear algebra (Axler) and analysis (Rudin). I have a MSc in Computer Science, so I will not be going through these topics for the first...
  48. K

    Testing Harvard minimum accepted SAT/ACT scores

    It is a well-known fact that Harvard university (arguably the most prestigious college in the United States) only accepts the very top highest-performing high school graduates in the country. What is Harvard's minimum accepted high school GPA, number of AP credits, and SAT/ACT scores? I...
  49. H

    Admissions Chances of admission into MIT, Harvard and Penn

    Hi, here are my credentials. 2008-2010: First two years of BSc physics at Imperial College London - 89% in my first year and 69% in the second year. 2010-2012: took gap years due to financial difficulty 2012-2013: Final year of BSc Physics at Imperial College London - expected to obtain...
  50. S

    My chances of getting into MIT, Caltech, Harvard etc

    Hello. I'm an international student and I've just completed my A Levels, my SAT Subject Tests and I expect to take the SAT Reasoning Test in Oct/Nov. My freshman year should start in Sept 2013. Here are my results: A levels (CIE) Maths: A* Physics: A* Chemistry: A* Further Maths: Expecting A*...
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